What Happens to Carer Payment When the Person You Care For Dies?

If you get Carer Payment and the person you care for dies, Services Australia says you may keep getting Carer Payment for up to 14 weeks after their death. You may also get a lump sum bereavement payment, depending on your circumstances. In Services Australia's words, the 14 weeks gives you time to apply for another income support payment if you need to. (Source: servicesaustralia.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

How long does Carer Payment continue after a death?

Up to 14 weeks. That figure appears in each situation Services Australia sets out, whether the person you cared for was your partner, someone else's partner or single. If they were your partner, your regular fortnightly payments are adjusted to the single rate. After that, Services Australia says you can consider transferring to another payment such as Age Pension. (Source: servicesaustralia.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

Its Payment Finder can help you see what payment you may be able to get next. (Source: servicesaustralia.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

Who do you need to tell, and by when?

The Services Australia information for Carer Payment and Carer Allowance claimants says that if the person you provide care for dies, you must tell it within 28 days, and it lists 132 717 for reporting changes. (Source: servicesaustralia.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026) More generally, Services Australia asks families to tell it within 28 days when someone has died, by phone, with the Advice of death form, or at a service centre. (Source: servicesaustralia.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

The same document also says Services Australia cannot pay claims made after the person you provided care for has died. (Source: servicesaustralia.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026) So if you were caring for someone and had not yet claimed, a claim lodged after their death can't be paid.

Will you get a lump sum bereavement payment?

General information only, not legal advice. Bereavement payments depend on your own circumstances, and Services Australia works out what applies once it has been told about the death. Please check with Services Australia directly before making plans around any amount.

It depends on who the person was to you, and on what payments their partner gets. This is how Services Australia sets it out for someone on Carer Payment:

There is a narrow exception in the last two rows for some carers who are paid Carer Allowance for someone else and get Carer Payment because of a past combination of Wife Pension and Carer Allowance tied to 19 March 2020. Services Australia's page has the exact wording. (Source: servicesaustralia.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

In its general guidance on the death of a partner, Services Australia explains that the bereavement payment is usually equal to the total you and your partner would have got as a couple, minus your new single rate, calculated over a 14 week period starting on the day they died. (Source: servicesaustralia.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

What happens to Carer Allowance?

Carer Allowance has its own rule. You may get a lump sum of up to 14 weeks of Carer Allowance when someone you care for dies, if all of these apply: you get Carer Allowance for the adult who died, you get an income support payment that doesn't include an extra payment when someone dies, and you don't get Carer Payment. (Source: servicesaustralia.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

Services Australia lists Carer Allowance at $162.60 each fortnight, with the rate adjusted on 1 January each year. (Source: servicesaustralia.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

What if you are on Age Pension instead?

Carers over Age Pension age can choose Age Pension rather than Carer Payment. In that case, Services Australia says you may keep getting Age Pension when the person you cared for dies. If they were your partner, your payment moves to the single rate, and you may get a lump sum bereavement payment if they were getting an income support payment from Services Australia or the Department of Veterans' Affairs. If they were not your partner, you can't get a lump sum. (Source: servicesaustralia.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)

A short list for the first weeks

1. Tell Services Australia within 28 days that the person you cared for has died.
2. Ask which bereavement payment, if any, applies to you.
3. Use the 14 weeks to work out what payment comes next, such as Age Pension.
4. If your partner was listed on your Medicare or concession card, ask for a new card, because Services Australia won't issue one automatically. (Source: servicesaustralia.gov.au, checked 6 Nov 2026)
5. Keep a note of every call: the date, who you spoke to and what they said.

If you are also the executor, the free Executor Toolkit lays out the first twelve months step by step, with notification letters and an expense tracker.

Related guides

Keep reading: what to do when someone dies, the executor's first steps, what to organise before a parent dies, and enduring power of attorney

Educational content only. Not legal, financial or tax advice. Estate laws vary across Australian states and territories. Always consult a qualified professional about your specific situation.

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